SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS A FACTOR IN THE ENERGY DEPENDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

RAPAIĆ Stevan (Stevan Rapaić MA, istraživač saradnik u Institutu za međunarodnu politiku i privredu, Beograd), stevan@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs

The main thesis of the author starts with the fact that the Sustainable Development Strategy of the European Union is one of the major long-term reducing instrument of energy dependency of the European Union. This paper gives an overview of the total energy consumption and production in the EU and its energy dependence on imports, mainly oil and gas. In order to meet the needs of sustainable development, the EU aims to cut consumption of crude oil, natural gas and solid fuels, and also to encourage the production and consumption of renewable energy, which would reduce the import of fossil fuels and contribute to energy efficiency. Despite numerous measures in order to achieve sustainable development, crude oil and natural gas remain the most important fuels in the EU, while its total energy dependency has increased over the past ten years.

Keywords: EU, energy dependence, the EU sustainable development strategy, environmental policy